THIS tract, whoever may be its author, is vigorously written. It has a special interest as a full statement and defence of the motives which led Wyclif to institute his order or company of poor priests.
As evidence in favour of Wyclif's authorship, we may notice the phrase "moo sacraments than Christ used and his apostles." In the Trialogus we find complaints that sacraments are multiplied so as to be a burden to the Church, and Confirmation and Extreme Unction are said not to have enough ground in Scripture to be necessary to salvation (Trial, book iv. chapters xi., xiv., xxv.). His doctrine of dominion is brought in on p. 247. Perhaps we may see a touch of personal feeling in the statement that a curate cannot get leave of absence to study God's law without payment. Had Wyclif found it necessary to buy leave to absent him|self from Fillingham in 1368?
On the other hand, the tone of several passages would lead us to attri|bute them to one of the poor priests rather than to Wyclif. It seems unlikely that the rector of Lutterworth would speak of a man who accepted a cure as binding himself "to o synguler place as a tey dogge," p. 252.
Copied from the Corpus MS. X. and collated with the Dublin MS. AA.
| CHAP. I. | Prevalence of simony. Corruption at Rome | p. 245 |
| Lords keep curates in their private service | 246 | |
| Curates get office to be exempt from the ordinary. | 247 | |
| II. | Poor priests dare not take office, fearing to waste the goods of the poor | 248 |
| They may not exercise their duties freely | 249 | |
| They are scouted if they do not waste money on feasts | 249 | |
| Evils of prelates' courts | 251 | |
| III. | Poor priests refuse benefices because they can do more good without them | 251 |
| Good results which would follow the adoption of their way of life | 252 |
